ANHELIGER BACKS YAN TO BEAT DVALISHVILI IN UFC 333 TRILOGY
“I'm a big fan of Petr Yan.”
Chad Anheliger fights in Edmonton on Saturday, but his pick for the Oct. 24 bantamweight title trilogy is clear, even if he calls the margin thin.
"I'm a big fan of Petr Yan."
That was Chad Anheliger's lean, via MMA Canada, ahead of Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili III. The trilogy is the co-main event at UFC 333 on Oct. 24.
"The margin is just so thin," Anheliger said. "Anybody can have a good night and win that belt."
Why The Pick Matters
Anheliger is not a distant observer. He is a bantamweight himself, and he returns Oct. 17 in Edmonton against Steven Koslow.
That return ends a near two-year absence. It also puts him back in a division he called fluid and deep.
"Merab is hungry as ever without his belt," he said — and that hunger is the main danger to his Yan pick. "I'm hoping that he can do his thing and pull it off."
"I'm a big fan of Petr Yan."
A Division With No Safe Nights
Anheliger pointed to recent movement at 135 pounds. He said skilled fighters keep trading places because the gaps are so small.
He also praised the smaller divisions. Below 155 pounds, he argued, skill has to back up the physical tools.
Let that sink in. The champion and the former champion are so close that a fellow bantamweight cannot split them on talent alone.
What Decides Oct. 24
Anheliger framed the trilogy as a fight-night question. Who shows up in the right way will take the belt home.
Yan gets his slight edge, in this reading, from Anheliger's long view of his game. Dvalishvili gets respect for his drive to reclaim the title.
So is Anheliger right that Yan does his thing one more time — or does a hungry Dvalishvili turn the trilogy his way?
